1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catalyst for reducing nitrogen oxides from a gas containing the same, such as gases exhausted from internal combustion engines (e.g., automobile engines) and those exhausted from industrial plants (e.g., nitric acid production plants). More specifically it relates to a catalyst for reducing nitrogen oxides as well as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from the above-mentioned exhaust gases in an oxygen rich atmosphere and a method of reducing nitrogen oxides as well as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from the above-mentioned exhaust gases in an oxygen rich atmosphere.
The term "an oxygen rich atmosphere" used herein means an atmosphere having an oxygen content larger than that of a theoretical air-fuel ratio.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over many years the harmful components of nitrogen oxides (NOx) contained in exhausted gases have been exhausted from internal combustion engines such as those used by, for example, automobiles, and from, for example, nitric acid production plants, to cause atmospheric pollution, and accordingly, various methods of reducing nitrogen oxides from such exhausted gases have been investigated.
Further, a diluted combustion has been considered, to lower the fuel costs of automobiles. In this case, the air to fuel ratio is made an oxygen rich atmosphere on the lean side, whereby drawbacks have occurred in that the three-way catalyst having noble metals (e.g., Pt, Rh, Pd), loaded on a carrier such as Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, as used in the prior art, can not eliminate NOx emissions, although HC and CO, among the harmful components in the exhausted gas, are removed. A known catalyst which solves this problem is a copper (Cu)-containing zeolite (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63-283727). The basic principle for removing NOx in an oxygen rich atmosphere with a Cu-containing zeolite catalyst resides in adsorbing NOx with the Cu and effecting a catalytic reaction of the adsorbed NOx with the reducible uncombusted hydrocarbons contained in the exhausted gas, to reduce the NOx to N.sub.2. This catalyst exhibits a NOx conversion ability at 200.degree. C. or higher, but has the problems described below.
The Cu-containing zeolite catalyst has an excellent initial catalytic activity, since Cu has a high NOx adsorption ability, but a problem arises therewith of durability, particularly durability at high temperatures. Accordingly, the development of a catalyst having a high catalytic activity even after prolonged usage is required. The cause of the inferior durability of this catalyst is the migration and agglomeration of the copper in the zeolite at a temperature of 600.degree. C. or higher, whereby the catalyst activity is lowered, and further, because the stability of the zeolite structure is lowered by containing Cu therein, and the structure thereof is destroyed after prolonged usage. Also, since the above-mentioned catalyst cannot reduce NOx at 200.degree. C. or lower, there is a problem in that NOx cannot be reduced at 200.degree. C. or lower. This is because NOx exists as NO.sub.2 under an oxygen rich condition of 200.degree. C. or lower, but the Cu-containing zeolite cannot convert NO.sub.2 to N.sub.2.